Comment: This is my first story. Had it in mind for a longer time now.

Beware spoilers from Xenosaga 2 and 3 ahead!

I was surprised that other author's kinda had similar ideas (the fun thing about getting Jr. drunk seems interesting to many ;) ).

I started following the game's frame a little but I won't follow the places and time thing to the end. Please go easy on me, if you find mistakes your free to keep them ! I'm not a native English speaker but I'll try my best.

Rated M for drug abuse, language and Albedo. Beware Shounen-ai ahead, don't like don't read! Though I have to admit not to much of it (who knows what the next chapter will bring).

Oh, before the story starts: I don't own Xenosaga or any of those wonderful characters. Else, I would throw a party and would never stop grinning.

Bis zur Dämmerung

Chapter 1

It was the moment he had feared all the time since he had abandoned Albedo the second time after the destruction of Omega. Why was he not able to shake of the bond between them, he had all reason to do so. Over and over again his dark half had stalked him, teased him and worst off all had hurt his friends. How could he forgive him for what he did to Momo? A rush of anger flooded over him. How did it start? When did it start? He began to remember…

The day started as always. Jr. woke up from the gentle, wet touch of his dogs nose.

"Alby, up already? Ya could let me sleep a little longer, you know?"

The tiny dog barked in excitement and jumped off the bed, indicating with a slight nod of his head towards the empty dog bowl, why he wanted his little master to get up. "Right, right, I'm coming!"

A smile appeared on his face. He did love to care for the fluffy hairball. He chuckled when the dog started jumping of joy when he took the dog food out of the cupboard.

"Here ya go!" Jr. leaned against the wall watching the dog eat, when suddenly he remembered something. Wasn't he supposed to met up with Gaignun this morning? In a rush he dressed himself, locked the door and ran towards the foundation.

As he was just running through the park between his location and the foundation when he suddenly stopped. That really looked a lot like the little green park at the Yuriev's facility.

He couldn't tell why but suddenly he left the main road and slowly stepped deeper in the artificial forest. He walked without even knowing where he was heading. The warm and soothing air played with his crimson hair. He believed that he heard birds singing, their sweet song in the almost tranquil surrounding.

Jr. stopped when he was in front of a tree that looked exactly like… He shivered. Didn't Albedo make those horrible graves in front of such a tree back then? A chill ran down his spine. The air felt like it was vibrating, tensing and then Jr. stopped breathing. Didn't he just fell his right heart beating?

Surely it did beat! How could this be? All he had wished for, since that doomed day, was to fell this comforting strong beat again, but know that he did, he felt like falling in a dark pit. His eyes widened as he watched a shadow emerge from behind the tree.

His twin brother walked slowly towards him. Knowing that his pray would not make an attempt to get away. To strong was this sudden impact on his older brother. He took a deep satisfied breath.

"Ah, so lively, isn't that Rubedo my dear brother? Didn't expect you here." Jr. slowly regained his voice. "Al, Albedo? Why, How, how is this possible? I've seen you die!"

Tears started to built up in the corner of his eyes. "You died, you left me alone! How could you just be here? Everyday I was blaming me for what I have done and now you're just standing here completely fine?" The volume of his voice had increased by the last few words.

The tears started to flow down. Albedo shock his head: "Now now, usually you are behaving so strong and wild. How come you are bawling now like a little kid, just because you see me again?" he let out a cackle. "You bastard!" forcefully Jr. ran his sleeves over his face to dry away his tears. When he looked up again Albedo had moved from his position.

Suddenly two strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind. "Ah, my beloved brother, regained your composure?", he asked in a teasing voice. "Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Jr. struggled violently but his grown-up brother held him tight.

One gloved hand moved up to rest on Jr.'s heart. Albedo closed his eyes and stood, what seemed for the red-haired Variant like an eternity, silent as if he where in a trance. something inside his chest, almost as if a fire was slowly spreading and then it was gone:

"Aww, I can feel it, you're not yet ready to face the truth that lies deep inside you, Rubedo.", he said somewhat disappointed. "But remember that: I'll be back and then you will have to accept your destiny, my wretched other half!" The grip around his body loosened and Jr. whirled around.

All that he could see were the trees and the soft grass underneath his feet. No sign of his twisted brother anywhere. Why did he suddenly vanished without really doing anything? Had he been dreaming? It felt more than real. Without really thinking about it his right hand moved to his right chest.

Nothing but silence greeted his fingers where just a moment ago a strong heartbeat had touched him. Confused and ever so often turning his head around while walking, he continued his way to the main tower were Gaignun was waiting for him.

"You look horrible! What happened to you?" Gaignun bend down to look Jr. straight in the eyes. Junior remained silent but after feeling uncomfortable to stare in those blazing green eyes for too long he looked away.

Slightly as a feather the younger, yet much older looking man, reached out to him mentally: "Jr. tell me!"

His voice always sounded so strong and warm. Junior leaned against it, grabbed the comfort and after he calmed down answered. "It was Albedo, at least I think it was him. I thought I felt his heartbeat and there he was."

Gaignun's eyes widened. "Really? I didn't feel a thing. …How could he have been talking to you. Didn't you say he was dead? And even if he would be alive, which I think is not very likely, how should he have managed to get into the Kukai Foundation without us knowing?"

"How should I know!" Jr replied now using his voice again, shutting Gaignun forcefully out of his mind. "Jr.!" Gaignun as well used his voice.

"Have you been drinking again? I told you that your body isn't strong enough, even though your legally allowed to…" "I didn't! Gaignun stop behaving like my father! I've seen him! Don't you believe me?" the black haired man leaned back and watched him with sad eyes.

"Rubedo, I know It was a shock to lose him, but he is gone. You have to accept that!"

"Don't call me by that name! I am Jr. now…you know what, Arrww…think whatever you like. I'm not insane." With those words he turned around and hurrying left the room.

The doors closed automaticly and left behind a shocked man, who sat down in his chair, looked into the screens in front of him and sighed.

"This stupid Gaignun! How could he believe that I made up such a story….and, damn, who told him that I have been drinking?"

Jr. had started with that bad habit after he had thought that Albedo was gone. To sooth the pain, especially when it was dark and lonely in the evening, he drank.

Only then he could finally fall asleep. All those pictures hunting him: URTV's running wild, Albedo small and fragile fighting against U-DO, Sakura dying, Albedo blowing his head of, guilt that all his attempts to save others failed. He would never be able to forget any of those hurtful memories.

At daytime he was at least able to put up his normal face. Mostly for Momo but actually for everyone. He didn't want them to be concerned. And somehow he felt embarrassed about it too. Who would understand his grief for a maniac that tried to kill a bunch of people (and ever so often successfully did so)?

He had been pretty sure that no one knew about his drinking habit. Did Gaignun spy about him? Well, probably he just knows about the link, Junior thought to himself. His head was spinning with all those gloomy thoughts bothering him, so he went to the little bar close to his domicile, were he could sit down for a moment and sort things out.

"The usual?" The barman asked him. "Yeah, thanks!" Junior went to his favorite place from which he could watch the trespassers without being seen himself. The barman put the drink in front of him, then turned around to service the other guests. This was probably the only bar that sold liquor so early and to a young male that looked no older than 12. But then again, the staff knew him…

After a few hours had passed by Junior finally thought about going back. He tried to get up but immediately fell back on his chair. How much did he have, he wondered, when a stranger was approaching him: "My, my what a cute little boy you are! Are you alone here?"

The woman smiled. She was dressed in a short red dress, with high boots and a lot of jewelry on her. "Did you drink? Oh, what a naughty young man!" She laughed. "Want me to help you, my dear?" Junior nodded and with the help of the woman he got up. She half-carried him outside and started to walk into the direction that Junior pointed to.

"To say the truth, my dear, I have been watching you some time in there. You looked so depressed and sad. I was wondering what evil could make such a pretty boy suffer like that?"

Jr. stiffened. "I, I…"he stammered with a heavy tongue. "I killed my own brother…not just him *hiccup*, .. probably was even 'de cause dat', dat' my other brothers went i-in-insane *sniff* and today I saw my dead brother again."

The woman stopped and looked at him searchingly. "What the hell are you talking about? Nah, I shouldn't listen to a drunken boy." But Junior continued to speak: "It hurts so much. I ca-can't take it anymore. My chest hurts so badly. Why won't id' stop?"

A vile expression passed over the woman's face. "You want the pain to be gone? You have something that you want to forget. Is that true?"

"I woulda' do anything just to make 'dese picures go out of my head!"

"That can be done. Quit simply. Look, I have just what you need, my dear."

She grabbed inside her purse and dug out a little package with a little flower on it. " This is the just released medicinecalled "Vergissmeinicht" in short "Vimini.", just take it, and you will feel so much better! You can have it for free today. If you need more call me, but then you have to purchase it!"

She handed over the package with the sweetest smile, turned around and left Junior on the middle of the road. "Whad' was dat' right now?" He glanced at the weird box in his hand, shrugged his shoulders and, wobbling from one side to the other, continued his way to his apartment.

After his arrival he sat down on the bed, the little box on this thighs. Slowly he opened the lid. Inside the box where three tiny nano-injectors. He pulled one out and turned it around.

"Forgetting… with these it will be possible? Hum, what if it is something else?" Pictures of berserk U.R.T.V's flashed through his mind. "Arrw, whatever, maybe that's the solution I was looking for." He placed the injector on the inside of his arm and pricked his skin.

Almost immediately he felt a warm sensation run through his body. Everything seemed so easy now. Nothing worried him. Finally he felt free from his guilt. He slept through till the next morning…

…

Six months had passed since that day. Everyone on the Elsa was terribly busy. The ship had been renewed and even upgraded, thanks to Helmer who donated some money as a reward for everything they had done for the federation.

During that time Matthews had been seen jumping around the ship singing some weird song to himself: "When the ship is doing well and the money sure does dwell, when the work is getting done Helmer pays us off, we won!"

Hammer and Tony had already learned a dance that would fit to Matthew's performance and sometimes made a background chorus: "Money flows to Elsa's delight, now we'll flying fast as light."

Whenever that had happened Chaos just walked by and tried his best to ignore them or claimed that he didn't know any of them to begin with.

But not only things had changed with the Elsa. Shion had resigned from Vector due to the moral conflicts that weighted upon her. She moved to Pedia Island where she had started an unofficial search for the truth behind everything.

Only Allen's invitation to meet Kosmos again had made her stop her interrogation for a while and caused her to launch Dinah to get to fifth Jerusalem.

At the same time Ziggy, Momo and even Jin accompanied Jr. on the Durandal, which was heading for fifth Jerusalem as well.

Momo had been so happy to see Jr. again. She had been with her mother and hadn't had the time to speak with Junior over a communicator. So their first meeting had been so great.

He had hugged her and she had given him a smile that even an angel would have been proud of. But soon after they had exchanged a few words she was sure that something wasn't right with him.

He talked big mouthed and loud as ever but though he had always possessed a flashy nature, he was just trying to hard to look happy. When he wasn't participating in the conversation and his smile lessened, his face appeared fatigued and his shoulders would drop just a little. Maybe Gaignun had him work very hard for skipping work over and over again?

She was interrupted in her analysis of Junior when Jin asked her about the recovering of the Y-Data. She politely answered all questions and after a few minutes she had forgotten about the strange behavior the 26 year-old man, trapped in the body of a 12 year-old, had showed.

Shelley approached them waving her hands energetic and said: "We docked to the hangar! Can we go shoppin'? Please little master!"

…

Connected through a red wire of fate that bound them all together, they would meet soon, not knowing what things where about to happen in the future.

Comment: If you liked it or if you did not, remember, reviews will always help the plot! :)